mokeen



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 1.

T. L. McKEEN. BUFFER PLATFORM FOR RAILROAD CARS.

No 601,900 Patented Apr. 5, 1898.

m: uomus PETERS ca, FHOTO-UTHLL, WA$NKNGTON. n. c.

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T. L. MGKEEN.

BUFFER PLATFORM FOR RAILROAD CARS.

No. 601,900. Patented Apr. 5, 1898.

NITED STATES THOMAS L. MOKEEN,

'ATENT Enron. 7

OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

BU FFER-PLATFORM FOR RAILROAD-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 601,900, dated April5,1898.

Application filed November 1, 1897. Serial No. 657,075. (No model.)

T (ZZZ whom/it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. MOKEEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buffer-Platformsfor Railroad-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enableoth ers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inbuffer-platforms for railroad-cars, and particularly to that class shownand described in Letters Patent No. 574,257, granted December 29, 1896,to myself and Alfred H. Renshaw.

My present invention has for its object to simplify the constructionshown in the patent referred to by reducing the number of parts and soarranging or assembling the same that they may be placed in properposition with great facility; and with these ends in View my inventionconsists in theconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter morefully described and claimed.

In order that those skilled in the art may fully understand myinvention, I will proceed to describe the same, referring by letters tothe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a plan View,partially in section, of myimprovements as applied to the frame andplatforms of a car. a longitudinal section at the line m x of Fig.

--l'." Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section at line y 1 Fig. 1. Fig.4 is a side elevation of the central buffer-stem and springs and thesupporting eyebolt or stop. Fig. 5 isa rear plan view of the eyebolt orstop; and Fig. 6 is a rear or plan view of the retaining-springsemployed in connection with the side bufferst-ems, the latter beingshown in cross-section.

Similar letters of reference denote like parts in the several figures ofthedrawin gs.

A represents the ordinary longitudinal sills of the frame of the car,between which is arranged the central buffer-stem B. The head ortransverse beam is represented at C and constitutes the support'for theordinary or main platform D, which overlaps the bufferplatform E.

F F are the side buffer-stems.

Fig. 2 is In the Letters Patent herein referred to the main buffer-stemis formed with a shoulder to bear against the end of an arm extendingfrom a shoe containing coil-springs bearing against a stop secured tothe coupler. In'my present construction the central buffer-stem B isturned downwardly after passing through the cross-beams and then atright angles and horizontally into a tailing, as it were, and

passes through an eyebolt G, secured vertically in the coupler H, whichbolt is formed with a cylindrical shoulder I, against which an innercoil-spring J bears, while an outer coil-sprin g K bears against thesurface of the eyebolt in rear of and surrounding the shoulder 1, bothof the coil-sprin gs at their forward ends bearing against the verticalface of the buffer-stem, as clearly shown at Fig. 4. The

front end of the buffer-stem G is mortised to form a lip L, (see Fig.4,) adapted to overlie a corresponding lip M (see Fig. 3) on thebuffer-platform. I I

The side buffer-stems N are each provided at their front ends witharecess or pocket to receive a teat or pivot 0 (see Fig. 2) on thecasting of the buffer-platform, and thus When the central and two sidebuffer-stems are in position the buffer-platform is supportedhorizontally by the two side bufier-stems,with the central buffer-stemoverlapping the lip M, and consequently the buffer-platform ispractically locked in a horizontal position. Each of the sidebuffer-stems N is provided with collars P, against which are supportedthe front ends of an exterior coil-spring Q and an interior coil-springR.

Therear ends of the side buffer-stems pass through a seat in a bracketS, formed with a collar or extension T, which forms a bearing for theinterior coil-spring R, while the base surrounding the collarconstitutes a bearing for the outer coil-spring Q. This bracket S ismortised in and constitutes a bridge between the side sills Aand A ofthe frame, as clearly shown at Figs. 1 and 2. A brace U extends from thelower end of the bracket S to a cross-beam V and supports the bracket"against undue thrust.

W is what I denominate a pantaloonsspring, (see Fig. 6,) the upper endof which is rigidly connected to the bracket S and the lugs of whichstraddle the side buffer-stems and impinge against the rear surface ofthe lower extremity of the bracket, as clearly shown at Fig. 5, and acotter-pin X, passing through the end of the side buffer-stems in rearof the spring W secures said stems in position, so that the springs WVoperate to prevent the buffer-platform from being projected abnormallywhen the cars are uncoupled, while, as will be readily understood, whenthe cotter-pin X is removed from the side buffer-stems thebuffer-platform and the side bufifer-stems may be moved outwardly asufficient distance to clear the main platform D and to release theinterlocking lips L and M between the buffer-platform and the centralbuifer-stem, whereupon the buffer-platform maybe lifted off the sidebuffer-stems N.

As the eyebolt G is connected with the coupler and the springs J K areconfined between the front face of said eyebolt and the rear verticalface of the central buffer-stem B, it follows that when the coupler ispulled out it will force the faces of the buffers of adjacent carspositively together.

It will be seen that if the teats or pivots on the buffer-platform,which engage with the recesses or sockets in the front ends of the sidestems, should at any time become broken the connection between the sidestems and the platform may be readily secured by drilling a hole andusing a coupling pin or pivot.

As the bracket is embedded in the sills and braced by the brace U, itwill be apparent that I am enabled to give great strength to the springsQ R.

Having described the construction and operation of my improvements, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

1. In combination with the main platform and coupler, and thebuffer-platform constructed with a central rear projection or lip M andside teats or pivots O, the central buf fer-stem provided with aforwardly-extended lip, and the side buffer-stems with recesses orpockets corresponding with the pivots O, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

2. In combination with the main platform D, coupler H andbuffer-platform E, the central butter-stem B turned downwardly and thenat right angles, the eyebolt G secured to the coupler, and the spring Jinterposed between the vertical plane of the stem B and the face of theeyebolt G, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In combination with the main platform D, buffer-platform E, couplerII and central buffer-stem B, the side bu ffer-stems N, the brackets S,braces U and springs NV and cotter-pins X, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

4. In combination with the side sills A, A, side bu ffer-stems N, andsprings R, the brackets S bridging the sills A, A and braced against thecross-beam V by an intermediate brace-bar U, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

5. In combination with the side stems N, brackets S, springs R, andcotter-pins X, the pantaloons-springs VV,secu red to the top plate ofthe brackets and hearing at their free ends against the vertical arm ofthe brackets, substantially as shown and described.

6. In combination with the side buffer stems provided with collars P,and the brackets S formed with the extension-collars T, the coil-springsQ, R, pantaloons-springs W and cotter-pins X, substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS L. MCKEEN.

Witnesses:

CHAS. W. RIEOK, E. P. RUSSITT.

